West Cannock Colliery

Overview

A five-pit Hednesford complex sunk by the West Cannock Collieries Company from 1869, whose No. 5 pit suffered a fatal firedamp explosion in 1933 and outlived its four sister pits by decades, finally closing in 1982.

History

West Cannock Collieries Company began sinking its first pit, No. 1, on Green Heath Common in 1869, going on to open a total of five numbered pits across the Hednesford area. No. 4 was also sunk in 1869 and closed in 1928; No. 2 was sunk in 1871, first wound coal in 1876 and closed as early as 1887; No. 3, sunk in 1871 on the north side of Belt Road, closed in 1949; No. 1 itself closed in 1958. No. 5, the last and longest-lived of the group, had its downcast shaft sunk in 1914 and its upcast in 1916. On 16 May 1933 an explosion in the Shallow Seam at No. 5 killed several men -- a House of Commons statement the next day gave three dead and three seriously injured, while other records of the disaster give six dead (see Disasters, below). No. 5 continued working long after its sister pits had closed, finally shutting in 1982.

Workings

Five numbered pits: No. 1 (1869-1958), No. 2 (1871-1887), No. 3 (1871-1949), No. 4 (1869-1928) and No. 5 (1914-1982, downcast and upcast shafts sunk separately).

Closure

No. 5, the last of the company's five pits, closed in 1982, decades after its four sister pits had each closed in turn between 1887 and 1958.

What remains

No reliable current-condition detail has yet been located.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Disasters & major incidents

• West Cannock No. 5 Colliery Explosion (1933)
  16 May 1933 · Explosion
  An explosion in the Shallow Seam at West Cannock No. 5 Colliery, Hednesford, killed several miners on 16 May 1933 -- sources disagree on the exact toll.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• West Cannock Collieries Company sank five numbered pits at Hednesford between 1869 and 1916: No. 1 (1869-1958), No. 2 (1871-1887), No. 3 (1871-1949), No. 4 (1869-1928) and No. 5 (1914-1982). ¹
• A 17 May 1933 House of Commons statement on the previous day's explosion at West Cannock No. 5 gave three men killed and three seriously injured; other records of the same disaster give six dead -- both figures are recorded rather than silently reconciled. (disputed) ²

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Sources

1. (primary) Rough Time Line — Cannock Chase Mining History Society
2. (primary) West Cannock Colliery Explosion - Hednesford - 1933 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026